9-Foot Florida Anaconda Captured

Officials responded to a call and were able to catch and kill a Florida anaconda.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced the news of a recently captured anaconda on their Facebook page.

The snake was most likely a released pet; the former owner probably saw the snake grow to larger than he was able to house, so instead of doing the responsible thing, he simply released the snake.

This is not an uncommon practice, especially for owners of exotic pets like snakes, lizards, and birds.

The problem in Florida is that the warm climate is similar enough to the tropics that many of these released animals not only survive, but thrive.

One study found 56 exotic pet species that are alive and well in Florida! Most readers are probably already aware of the Burmese python invasion; the invaders are gobbling up native species and generally harming the ecosystem.